Marlins' unlucky 13th starter Narveson pounded by Pirates

Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)

It takes more than a little bad luck for a major league team to go through 13 starting pitchers in a season still in progress.

The has been the case with the Marlins' injury-ravaged rotation. They tied a franchise record Wednesday when Chris Narveson became the 13th pitcher to start for them this season.

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As badly as Narveson's first start since 2012 turned out in a 7-2 shellacking by the Pirates, they may be calling on No. 14 unless some of the injured hurlers return soon.

A six-run second inning dashed Narveson's hopes of taking a step toward resurrecting a once-promising career as a starter. The Pirates pounded three extra-base hits that inning, including a three-run homer by Andrew McCutchen, who also had a run-scoring double in the first inning.

"You truly cannot prepare for what we've had to endure," Marlins manager Dan Jennings said before the game. "It's baseball, and it happens. Some years you have more injuries than other years. It's got to be a next-man-up mentality."

The Marlins have had 11 pitchers spend time on the disabled list this season, including seven starters. Tom Koehler is the only member of the rotation that began the season to get through unscathed and remain with the team.

Fortunately for Miami, help appears to be on the way with Jose Fernandez (biceps strain), Jarred Cosart (vertigo) and Jose Urena (bruised knee) progressing rapidly toward returns from the DL.

Cosart will make a rehab start Thursday for Class A Jupiter, while Fernandez will throw a bullpen session. Urena was successful in his bullpen test Wednesday.

The same could not be said for Narveson, who lasted only 3 2/3 innings while giving up seven runs, eight hits and three walks.

At 33, the left-hander is trying to regain form that enabled him to compile a 25-17 record in his first three seasons as a starter for the Brewers before injuries limited him to 11 innings in 2012 and '13. He pitched in Japan last year before getting this chance with the Marlins.

Trouble started immediately for Narveson with a leadoff walk to Josh Harrison, who scored on McCutchen's first hit.

Martin Prado's sixth homer, into the visitors' bullplen in left off Jeff Locke, pulled the Marlins even briefly before the second-inning onslaught.

The last time Narveson started, on April 15, 2012 for the Brewers in a loss at Atlanta, Prado hit a double off him for the Braves.

Back-to-back doubles to open the second by former Marlin Michael Morse and Neil Walker foreshadowed an early exit. The Pirates sent 10 men to the plate that inning, and six had hits, none of them bleeders. McCutchen teed off on a 1-2 changeup up in the zone for the homer.

"I think I was a little amped up from trying to do a little too much," Narveson said. "I left some balls up and they did what they were supposed to do."

The Marlins did get a solid effort in relief from Erik Cordier, a recent call-up from the minors who retired 10 of 11 hitters he faced in 3 1/3 hitless innings. Cordier, whose fastball is consistently in the high 90s, struck out the side in the seventh.

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"Opportunity was what I was looking for from the day when I decided to sign over here after opting out with the Giants," said Cordier, who spent a decade in the minors with four organizations before debuting with San Francisco in 2014. "I pretty much told [Jennings] that I'd do whatever it takes to get as many innings as I can, [to] show that I can be a reliable arm in the big leagues."

The spate of injuries have provided showcase opportunities for pitchers such as Cordier and McGough. But the effects have reverberated through the Marlins' organization as they have had to pillage their farm affiliates to patch leaks in Miami.

That is reflected in a 3-22 record by Triple-A New Orleans this month.

"It's been unfair because they wake up every day not knowing, is their starter for tonight truly their starter? He may be on his way to Miami," Jennings said.

"When we've had the number of injuries we've had, to have to pull from those Triple-A guys, that pulls from Double-A to [New Orleans]. It's a trickle-down effect through the organization. It sometimes makes guys go to a level before they're ready to be there."